SHEILD: Black Ops
by Nightwolv
Summary: The Black Widow accepts an offer to put together her own team from Fury but unlike the Avengers this team is made up of slightly less than heroic individuals. Rated T
1. Candidates

**S.H.E.I.L.D, Hellicarrier**

Natasha Romanoff sat in front of the computer screen staring at the photos it produced. "This is going to take forever" she thought pushing some red hair from her eyes. She had been excited at the idea of being in command of her own team when idea was pitched to her. Fury had approached her with the idea of creating a team S.H.E.I.L.D could use for less heroic actions than the Avengers. At first Natasha had been surprised, this wasn't the sort of thing Fury condoned but since Norman Osborn's take over a while back his view seemed to have shifted. The only problem was finding people that could be used for these sort of missions. Natasha wasn't a monster but she was no saint either, she had killed many people in her time. Most of them deserved it. After another hour of looking through images of potential candidates she realized it was a lost cause. This team wasn't meant to be like the Avengers and none of the people in S.H.E.I.L.D's database fitted the right profiles. What was it fury had said?

_"I want a team that can do whatever is necessary to win. The Avengers are the body of our defence we need you to be its shadow."_

He really is a drama queen Natasha thought as she left her seat and began to make her way to the front of S.H.E.I.L.D's hellicarrier. Natasha needed a word with Fury.

_"Ah Widow"_ the S.H.I.E.L.D leader greeted as she entered the large control room.

_"Sir it's about the taskforce"_ she began but Fury quickly silenced her by raising his hand.

_"Not here"_ he replied sharply before gesturing to a door no his right. _"What is the problem agent Romanoff?"_ he asked after shutting the door behind her.

_"I've gone through the database and no-one on the list is a good fit for this job. I've looked through every available hero and none of them are going to be prepared to do this"_ Black Widow replied _"Well Wolverine fit the profile but he doesn't play well with others and I don't particularly want to have him around besides he's on the Avengers at the moment."_

Fury looked at her sternly for a moment. _"When did I say we needed heros?"_ he replied watching as his words sank in.

_"You mean? That's insane why should any of them help"_ Natasha gasped.

_"Criminals aren't difficult to understand agent Romanoff you simply find what drives them and use it"_ Fury replied.

_"You're truly suggesting that we pay villains, criminals, people who have probably tried to kill us in the past, to work for us?"_ Black Widow asked looking at him disbelievingly.

_"Would you prefer to have them out there working for our enemies or here working for us?"_ Nick Fury said as he walked out the door.

Natasha stood frozen in place for a few moments before composing herself and leaving the room. As much as she hated this idea she had to admit Fury had a point. Returning to her quarters she started to search again this time in a slightly different list than the previous one. As she scrolled through the names until one caught her eye.

_"Tony Masters"_ she murmured as she clicked on the link. She knew that name. It was only as a photo of a skull-masked individual appeared she remembered where from. Tony Masters or Taskmaster as the world knew him was a former S.H.E.I.L.D agent who took an experimental formula that gave him photographic reflexes. The formula had side effect unfortunately and his memory was erased. Having no memory of S.H.E.I.L.D he used his new found abilities to became a mercenary. Had Natasha not seen the man in action herself the notion of photographic reflexes would have seemed bizarre to her but Natasha had seen Taskmaster fight before.

His ability allowed him to instantly copy any fighting style or movement he saw. She remembered the shock on Iron Fist's face when Taskmaster had perfectly executed a chi attack that he had spent years of his life perfecting only after a few seconds of fighting him. The second time she had seen him was during Norman Osborn's siege on Asgard. Taskmaster had been cutting through the Asgardians as if they were standing still and if that wasn't impressive enough he successfully fought both Bucky Barnes and his mentor Captain America at the same time.

Natasha knew Steve Rodgers well and he was one of the most skilled fighters she knew but she'd seen the look of surprise on his face when Taskmaster disarmed them both without hardly any effort. Masters was good she'd give him that but was he what she was looking for?

One thing Black Widow did know was that Taskmaster could be easily controlled. As he was a mercenary his loyalty was to whoever paid the most and S.H.E.I.L.D's budget was huge. Natasha quickly added his name to the list of possibilities before looking through the others. After four hours she had her list of possible candidates. It was time to go find them.

**Beijing, China, 10pm local time**

_"Did you acquire it?"_ the well-dressed Chinese man asked looking at the costumed man in front of him apprehensively from behind his desk.

_"Of course I did"_ Taskmaster replied in Chinese eyeing the man through his skull mask. He then proceeded to pull an object from one of the many pouches on his belt and handed it to the Chinese man.

_"You have done us a great honour Taskmaster"_ the man replied as he turned the object in his hands.

"Triads and their honour" Masters thought rolling his eyes behind the mask. They had hired him to steal the hilt of some sword that belonged to an ancient ruler of China. Getting it had been a piece of cake, the security at the museum had been easy to bypass for someone of his talents. _"Not to be rude Peking Pete but there's still the matter of my payment"_ he replied as the Chinese man put the hilt in one of the many draws of his desk.

_"It's through there"_ the man replied looking rather annoyed at being called Peking Pete.

Taskmaster smiled as he was marched through the door by a few of the man's bodyguards. "How stupid do they think I am" he thought as they walked through the door. As soon as the man had got the hilt in his hands Masters realized by his look that he had no intention of paying him. As he entered the room another two men jumped him from in front. Unfortunately for them they were unaware of who they were fighting. Taskmaster grabbed the first attacker by his wrist and wrenched it behind the man's back. The Triad cried out as he felt his wrist snap. The mercenary followed through bringing back his elbow to drive it into one of the men behind him.

Instinctively he ducked and rolled forward as the second man behind him took a swipe at him with a flick-knife. Taskmaster's hand shot to his sword, quickly unsheathed it and used the blade to parry another swipe of the knife. Spinning the weapon in his hand he hit the man in front of him with the hilt of the sword before pulling back and impaling the man behind him on its blade.

_"Amateurs"_ he muttered as pushed the door back open, flicking his wrist to get the blood off his blade as he did. The man was still sitting behind his desk and seemed horrified that he was still alive.

_"We can make a deal"_ he began as Taskmaster approached sword in hand.

_"We already had a deal and you just broke it"_ Taskmaster replied coolly as he continued his slow walk towards the man.

_"I'll pay you double, triple! Don't to kill me"_ the man continued obviously terrified now.

_"As tempting as that sounds I have a reputation to maintain and money can't buy that"_ Taskmaster replied thoughtfully as he grabbed the man by his neck and pinned him against the wall of the room before placing the tip of his sword against the man's neck. _"I just hope all Triads aren't as stupid as you"_ he growled before beginning to apply pressure to the sword.

Suddenly a shot rang out and the bullet struck the sword's hilt throwing it from Taskmaster's grasp. He turned annoyed at being interrupted to see a woman dressed completely in black. He couldn't see her face due to a balaclava but her stance was vaguely familiar.

_"Let me finish your boss and I'll be with you hon"_ Taskmaster muttered turning his attention back to the man. Suddenly the woman launched herself at him. Quickly Taskmaster released the man and did a backward somersault to avoid her blow. _"Although now is good to"_ he finished throwing a punch at the woman.

She ducked beneath his blow before lashing out with her foot aiming for his chest. Masters stepped back, instinctively bring his arms to block but to his surprise he realized this was a bluff attack and instead of kicking him in the chest she used the momentum to strike him in the head. He reeled back briefly before spinning and kicking his assailants legs out from beneath her.

_"Well, well Ms Romanoff it's been a while"_ he said watching as she got back to her feet. Black Widow stared at him in shock from beneath her balaclava. It had taken her two days to track Taskmaster down and with all of the resources S.H.E.I.L.D had that was an impressive feat for Taskmaster in itself and here he had figured out who she was in barely a few seconds.

_"How did.."_

_"Did I know it was you?"_ Taskmaster interrupted finishing her sentence. _"I remember fighting styles and the people who use them. It took me three moves to guess who you were"_ he stated matter of factly.

Black Widow removed the mask letting her long red hair flow out. They both stared at each other for a minute before Taskmaster broke the silence.

_"So you going to try and take me in or what?"_ he asked eyeing her and slipping into a fighting stance.

_"I'm here to make you an offer"_ she replied. Taskmaster seemed genuinely surprised at this.

_"S.H.E.I.L.D making me an offer? That's new"_ he replied smirking and relaxing his stance slightly.

_"I'm putting a team together"_ Black Widow continued ignoring him. _"Your skillset could prove valuable."_

_"Let me get this straight. You want me to believe that S.H.E.I.L.D, the world biggest goody two shoes company in the world wants me, a renowned mercenary, assassin and saboteur to work for them? Sorry sweet cheeks but I don't buy it"_ Taskmaster replied sarcastically.

_"We're prepared to pay you"_ Black Widow insisted.

_"Wait. Now they want to pay me? Is this being recorded? Am I being Punk'd?"_ he replied again with the same sarcastic tone.

_"Listen Masters you can either stay here and do meaningless small jobs for these assholes"_ Black Widow began gesturing to the Chinese man on the floor. _"or you can except the offer I'm giving you and get paid well for doing the job we assign!"_ Natasha finished curtly, eyeing the assassin. Tony stood there for a moment, he could generally tell when people were lying and he was pretty sure she wasn't.

_"What kind of job are we talking about?"_ he asked sheathing his sword.

* * *

This Chapter is short as its a test run the next chapters will be longer


	2. The List

Natasha looked out the window of the private jet as China disappeared beneath her. Taskmaster sat opposite, now dressed in a suit but conserved his skull themed mask. Taskmaster was an intriguing character to say the least. Black Widow had read his profile and although he was considered a criminal his past transgressions were nowhere near as bad as someone like Cletus Kasady.

_"So this team"_ Taskmaster began fixing her with his gaze. _"Who's in it?"_

_"So far just me and you"_ Natasha replied looking at him warily. She had to be careful what she said around Masters, he was a tactical genius and she knew he would be monitoring everything she said.

_"Who else do you have in mind?"_ the mercenary continued as he reached out and picked up a glass of wine one of the stewardesses had left on the table in front of him.

_"I have a preliminary team in mind but nothing concrete"_ Black Widow replied simply. Taskmaster pulled up the bottom of his mask, took a sip of the red liquid before turning his attention back to her.

_"You don't trust me do you?"_ he asked flatly.

_"Why should I? You're a villain. Not to mention you and the Avengers don't exactly have a good track record"_ Natasha muttered looking back out the window.

_"You still see the world with villains and heroes huh? Cute"_ Masters replied smiling slightly, watching as the crimson liquid in his glass lapped the sides due to the turbulence. _"Or are you just choosing to? C'mon you and I both know that the world is nowhere near as black and white as that."_

_"Then how would you describe yourself?"_ Black Widow shot back.

_"A survivor"_ Taskmaster replied shrugging _"There's no need to worry you must have read my file so you know that when I make a deal I don't break it. Tell me, who else do you have in mind? I like to know who I'm working with."_

Natasha sighed. What could it hurt he'd know soon anyway. _"Songbird"_ Black Widow began.

_"Ah Melissa. I haven't seen her since the whole Thunderbolts fiasco with Osborn"_ Taskmaster replied thoughtfully. _"Sorry for beating you up by the way"_ he added.

_"What are you talking about?"_ Natasha asked looking at him confused.

_"Oh I forgot you didn't know that was me did you? During the time you infiltrated Osborn's Thunderbolts pretending to be Yelena Belova you remember that right? Deadpool attacked Osborn and you were sent to take care of him"_ Taskmaster began.

_"Wait. The second guy dressed up as Deadpool was you?"_ Natasha replied putting two and two together. Taskmaster nodded in response. _"How did you.._"

_"You're fighting style gave you away. I could have ratted you out to Osborn at the time but that wouldn't have got me anything worthwhile"_ Taskmaster finished before taking another sip of wine. _"Who else do you have on that list?"_

_"Laura Kinney"_

_"that's the Wolverine chick right?"_

_"Yes and Psylocke"_

_"Do you have a thing for mutant birds?"_ Taskmaster commentraising an eyebrow beneath his mask.

_"Please try to be serious Masters. These are the people who fit the profile"_ Black Widow replied sharply.

_"Well as long as Deadpool isn't on that list I think I can work with that"_ Taskmaster said thoughtfully as he lay back in his seat.

_"Don't worry. Deadpool definitely isn't on the list"_ Black Widow confirmed. She didn't want or need that maniac within 100miles of her.

* * *

A few hours later the jet landed on S.H.E.I.L.D's hellicarrier and they both left the jet.

_"Welcome back Masters"_ Fury said coldly as Taskmaster approached. He didn't like the idea of having this man here. It was partly his own fault he was the one who told Natasha she could pick anyone she wanted but having an ex-S.H.E.I.L.D agent who had broken in and out of S.H.E.I.L.D easily put him on edge.

_"I'd be more likely to believe you were glad to see me if the vein on your forehead wasn't throbbing chuckles"_ Taskmaster replied smirking slightly. Natasha quickly grabbed Masters by the arm and pulled him through a door leading to the interior of the hellicarrier before an argument could start.

_"You'll be staying here"_ she said as she led him down a corridor and into a room.

_"Wow I could fit my entire apartment inside the shower in the bathroom"_ Taskmaster replied as he looked round his living quarters. _"Still doesn't change the fact this is still a just a glorified prison"_ he finished looking at the large locking mechanism on the door.

_"Sorry but we can't have your kind running around aboard the hellicarrier unsupervised"_ Black Widow replied following his gaze. _"You'll stay here until you're needed on missions."_

_"My kind?"_ Taskmaster replied feigning hurt.

_"I need to check on where we are with finding the others"_ Natasha sighed ignoring Taskmaster's attempt at humour. _"I'll come back later to go over the plans with you."_

_"Whatever. I'm going to see if there's a match on"_ the mercenary replied sitting on down on the couch in the middle of the room and turning on the television. As she left the room Natasha took care to lock the door behind her using the voice activation and made sure she heard the large electronic system lock the door before heading to the control room.

_"Where are we?"_ she asked as she entered the large room lined with computers.

_"Songbird is dark. We've been unable to find anything on her since Dark Reign"_ one of the agents replied.

_"And the others?"_

_"We have the last known locations of the two mutants for the past weak"_ one of the other men replied getting up and handing her a sheet of paper.

_"Boston huh?"_ Came a voice from over her shoulder. She snapped round quickly and was shocked to find Taskmaster looking over her shoulder.

_"How the hell did you get out?"_ Natasha asked looking at the mercenary in surprise. He cleared his throat before replying.

_"Like this"_ he smirked mimicking Black Widows voice exactly. _"That's the problem with those voice responsive systems they don't work to good on someone who can copy people. Besides being stuck in there was annoying and there were no matches on"_ he continued still using her voice.

_"Ok you've made your point"_ Natasha muttered raising a hand to silence him.

_"So they're in Boston?"_ Taskmaster asked again, switching back to his own voice as he noticed the nervous glances some of the S.H.E.I.L.D agents were giving him.

_"Looks like it"_ Widow replied turning her attention back to the document.

_"When do we leave?"_ Masters asked looking at Natasha curiously.

_"Once we have an approximate location we'll go after them."_

_"I don't mean to be the one to poor the cold water of reason on your little mental bomb-fire but how are you going to get them to join? They aren't exactly known for working well with anyone besides the X-men"_ Taskmaster asked taking the document from her hands and reading it._ "Besides last I heard the psychic ninja woman was on the X-Force"_ he finished as his eyes followed the red dots on the map representing the mutant's movements.

_"The X-Force is currently disbanded due to Logan's affiliation with the Avengers. I'm hoping as they do not have any other duties to attend to we might have a shot at recruiting them"_ Black Widow replied retrieving the piece of paper from Taskmaster before turning to leave.

_"Boston here we come!"_ Taskmaster said following Natasha towards the door.

_"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"_ Black Widow asked turning, putting herself between Masters and the way out.

_"What are you talking about? This is my suit"_ Taskmaster replied slightly confused.

_"You're part of S.H.E.I.L.D now. We can't have you running around in that. Anyway if you're intent on keeping that suit i'm guessing you won't be wanting this?"_ Black Widow replied smiling as she picked up a suitcase which had been placed conveniently near the door. Taskmaster took it from her curiously, perching it on his forearm as he opened it. _"We thought you might like that back"_ Natasha said watching as Master's eyes lit up in recognition.

_"Oh I've missed you"_ Taskmaster smirked pulling out his old stealth suit and S.H.E.I.L.D weapon generator.

**America, Boston, 10pm local time**

_"I don't know anything I swear"_ the terrified man cried as X-23's claws pressed against his forehead. Laura glared at the man disbelievingly. A noise picked up by enhanced sense caused her to stiffen as another opponent approached her from behind. The man raised a crowbar and swung it towards the young mutants head but it never made contact as a purple gloved hand shot out grabbing the the weapon. _"What took you so long?"_ Laura asked turning back to the man in front of her as Psylocke dispatched the other assailant.

_"There were a fair few others back there I'll have you know"_ Psylocke replied appearing beside her.

_"I'm going to ask you again"_ Laura growled looking at the last man and gesturing menacingly with her claws. _"Where's the supplier?"_

After the X-Force had disbanded both her and Elizabeth Braddock (Psylocke) had decided to settle in Boston for a while to get away from all the mutant propaganda. It had been reasonably peaceful until about a week ago when an enormous amount of cocaine had appeared on the black market. Normally this would not have been something the duo would have concerned themselves with but when Psylocke had noticed one of the dealers attempting to sell drugs to children they had decided to put an end to it.

_"Look I don't know where the guy is but the snow comes in at the docks. Pier 9"_ the man replied nervously before Laura's fist connected with the man's head knocking him out.

* * *

About twenty minutes later they arrived at the docks. Using the large storage containers as cover they both sped along the piers.

_"Stop"_ Laura whispered as the sound of voices came into contact with her enhanced hearing. Peering round the corner they could both make out a group of people talking. _"I know that woman"_ Laura gasped as she recognized the green haired woman standing amongst the group. _"That's Madame HYDRA."_

_"HYDRA? What do they have to do with this?"_ Psylocke whispered also peering at the emerald haired woman.

_"Hey what are you two doing?"_

Laura's head snapped round as the man approached gun raised. She had been so intent on the group she hadn't noticed this man sneak up on them. He must have recognized them as he pulled the trigger on the weapon and bullets flashed from the muzzle. Psylocke quickly leapt to one side to avoid the gunfire. Laura on the other hand stayed put and hissed as the bullets pierced her skin. Elizabeth quickly dispatched the man but the shots had already alerted the group who instantly drew their weapons and ran towards the noise.

_"It seems we have guests"_ Madame HYDRA purred as she saw the mutants. X-23 got to her feat the bullet wounds already healed.

_"We're surrounded"_ Psylocke growled looking at the HYDRA agents who appeared as if from nowhere on the containers and around the pier.

_"So what can I help you ladies with?"_ the green haired woman asked smirking. Laura didn't reply instead her claws snapped from her knuckles and she crouched down ready to leap. _"Kill them"_ Madame HYDRA muttered as she turned away upon realizing they weren't there to talk.

Psylocke quickly dived for cover dragging Laura with her to stop the girl diving head first into the gunfire.

_"What the hell are you doing?"_ Laura demanded as her friend pulled her behind one of the containers to avoid the gunfire.

_"You won't be able to take all those bullets"_ Psylocke replied ducking as a bullet tore through the metal above her head. X-23 knew she was right. There were a lot of agents out there and each one was armed with an automatic weapon. Even with her healing factor they would pepper her with holes.

_"Shit. We're pinned"_ Elizabeth muttered as she tried to peak round the container, instantly pulling back as the gunfire started up again.

_"Will you just hurry up and kill them already"_ Madame HYDRA growled frustratedly, stopping in her stride and observing the situation. Suddenly a circular object cut through the air striking multiple HYDRA agents before rebounding off of the ground and flashing past her head. Madame HYDRA only knew one person who could throw like that.

_"Rodgers!"_ she snarled turning her head, looking for the Avenger but to her surprise she came face to face with a man wearing skull like mask.

_"Nope, not Rodgers. Just his moves"_ Taskmaster replied using the skills he'd acquired from Captain America to catch the shield as it ricocheted. He was then forced to duck behind the shield as HYDRA drew a pistol and pulled the trigger. The bullets bounced off the energy shield sending the rounds flying in all directions. Meanwhile noticing the guards distraction the pair of mutants broke from cover and began attacking the remaining soldiers.

_"What the hell is Taskmaster doing here?"_ Laura asked looking in surprise at the mercenary who was currently fighting Madame HYDRA.

_"He's with me"_ came a voice from behind her. Black Widow seized the nearest agent, quickly grabbing the gun before he could turn it towards her. She then proceeded to drive two of her fingers into the man's neck hitting the pressure point and causing him to crumple to the floor.

_"What the hell are you doing here? and what's he doing working for you?"_ Psylocke asked suspiciously as she deflected a barrage of bullets using her katana. Although she had never actually met Taskmaster before she knew of him via his reputation as a mercenary and seeing him with a supposed S.H.E.I.L.D agent was odd to say the least.

_"How about we finish up and I'll explain?"_ Black Widow suggested as she used Widows bite (a pair of wrist mounted weapons that give off a large electrical charge) to drop another assailant.

_"So you're working with S.H.E.I.L.D now?"_ Madame HYDRA snarled ducking as Taskmaster threw a punch towards her head.

_"What can I say. They pay better than you"_ the mercenary replied grabbing his former employer by her hand and twisting HYDRA into a wristlock before knocking the gun from her hand.

Shifting her weight sharply the green haired woman managed to free herself and drove her elbow into Taskmasters face. Masters staggered back but quickly composed himself as Madame HYDRA retrieved the weapon and began to fire on him again. Quickly he brought the shield back up blocking most of the bullets but he still felt a twinge of pain as one of them grazed his leg. Still training the gun on Taskmaster the HYDRA leader turned to see how her men were doing. To her annoyance they had all been beaten down and the other heroes were quickly closing in on her.

_"Sorry but it looks like I'll have to cut this little reunion short"_ she said pressing a button her belt and activating the teleportation device just as Black Widow lunged at her. Natasha punched the ground in frustration as HYDRA disappeared. She'd been so close.

_"You guys sure know how to pick your playmates"_ Taskmaster groaned getting to his feet and inspecting the wound to his leg.

_"We didn't ask for or need your help"_ Laura snapped back.

_"So what are you doing here?"_ Psylocke asked again, turning to Black Widow curiously.

_"I'm here to offer you a job"_ Black Widow replied noticing the surprised look on the mutant's faces as she spoke.

_"What kind of job?"_ Psylocke asked crossing her arms.

_"S.H.E.I.L.D is putting a team together and.."_

_"Sorry not interested"_ X-23 cut in sharply. _"We're good here thanks and…Wait do you smell that?"_ she said turning her head towards one of the containers.

_"I just got elbowed in the nose I think it'll take a while for me to be able to smell anything"_ Taskmaster muttered as he followed the group towards the container.

_"Whats your beef with HYDRA?"_ Natasha asked turning to Psylocke as X-23 began cutting her way into the container.

_"We were just going to take out a drugs operation we had no idea HYDRA was involved"_ Pyslocke replied honestly. Laura broke the chain holding the container shut using her claws and pulled the doors open.

_"Ok I take it back. I can definitely smell that"_ Taskmaster said as the nauseous odour entered his nostrils.

_"I don't think they were just dealing drugs"_ Laura said quietly as she peered into the container.

_"Jesus"_ Natasha gasped in horror as she saw the container was lined with bodies.

_"What the f*** is this?"_ Psylocke asked covering her mouth as the smell of necrotic flesh began to cause her to vomit.

_"Human trafficking"_ Taskmaster replied darkly from behind her. _"Looks like the trip these people took was a little longer than expected and they starved to death."_

Noticing a small engraving on the container door Natasha pulled out her phone, took a picture and sent it to S.H.E.I.L.D.

_"What do you think that is?"_ she asked pointing to the insignia. It was the face of a man with a cross over his lip.

_"Some kind of gang sign. I don't recognize it though"_ Taskmaster replied inspecting it. _"Looks like HYDRA aren't the suppliers."_

_"We're in"_ Laura murmured still staring into the container.

_"Excuse me?"_ Natasha asked turning to the mutant.

_"Your team. We're in as long as our first course of action is to track down the sick f***s who did this"_ X-23 replied her fists shaking.


	3. Spiders

**America, Boston, 12pm Local time**

The team left the docks after calling in S.H.E.I.L.D to take care of the clean-up. They were all currently in the Boston HQ, S.H.E.I.L.D had set up. Natasha left her teammates in a large room, sitting round the debriefing table. She needed to know if they had found out anything about this gang sign. The rest of the team sat in silence while they waited for her to return. After a few minutes Taskmaster spoke up.

_"So you're Wolverine's clone right?"_ he asked looking at X-23 curiously.

The girl didn't reply but her jaw clenched slightly. She didn't like being referred to as a clone as it only served to remind her that she was just a carbon copy of someone else. Taskmaster was just about to speak again when Psylocke quickly interrupted him noticing that Laura was getting annoyed.

_"Why did you join? I'm surprised S.H.E.I.L.D asked a murdering sociopath who copies other people's skills to join them."_

_"I see my reputation precedes me"_ Taskmaster replied turning his attention to Psylocke._ "Speaking of reputations who taught you ninjitsu?"_

_"It's a long story"_ Psylocke muttered.

_"Well whoever it was did a good job. Your movements will make a good addition to my repertoire"_ he finished as he rested his feet on the large table.

_"You can really copy people that quickly?"_ Laura asked a hint of curiosity in her voice.

_"The useful bits yes. No offense but I won't be using any of yours. I don't have a healing factor and your fighting style tends to involve you getting hurt a lot. I'd prefer to stay away from that"_ Taskmaster answered turning back to X-23. Just then Black Widow re-entered the room hold a tablet computer.

_"Well?"_ Laura asked following Natasha with her eyes as she sat down.

_"Mexico"_ Black Widow said bluntly as she sat down. _"The gang calls itself 'La Hermandad Silencio'. They operate mainly in Mexico and its borders. As far as S.H.E.I.L.D was aware they were a small player. Nothing big, some drugs every now and then but nothing to put them on our radar."_

_"Looks like the Silent Brotherhood is branching out then"_ Masters replied thoughtfully as he translated the gang's name into English.

_"It seems that way. I've got good news and bad news"_ Natasha began looking at her team.

_"Give us the bad news first"_ Psylocke said hoping whatever it was wouldn't be a big issue.

_"As Taskmaster just said they are branching out and it seems they've paid a certain mercenary to protect them"_ Natasha began as she tapped the keys on her tablet.

_"Oh please tell me it's not Wade"_ Taskmaster said sitting up quickly.

_"No, it's not Deadpool. This guy is far worse. Have any of you ever heard of Carlos LaMuerto?"_ Black Widow asked. She took the blank expressions on her teammate's faces as a no. _"He goes by the name Black Tarantula."_

_"Looks like someone's ripping off your name"_ Taskmaster commented as Natasha began typing something onto the touch screen.

_"I assure you Taskmaster this is no joking matter. This man is incredibly dangerous"_ the redhead snapped back turning the screen round to reveal footage of the Black Tarantula in action._ "I'm sure all aware of who Spider-man is?"_ The others nodded in agreement.

_"I fought him once a while back his speed and agility were truly impressive"_ Laura commented as she remembered her encounter with the wallcrawler.

_"Well this should really hit home then"_ Natasha said as she played the footage.

_"Jeezus"_ Taskmaster gasped sitting up straight as he watched the video of the Black Tarantula completely beating down Spider-man. Even the mutants looked on in quiet amazement as the Tarantula took down one of the most well known superhumans of their time.

_"Carlos wasn't even trying to win here. He was trying to break into HYDRA's headquarters. Spider-man was simply in the way"_ Black Widow finished as she turned off the footage.

_"He did that without even trying? Ok now I see why it's the bad news"_ Taskmaster muttered.

_"What do we know about him?"_ Psylocke asked trying to gather some information.

_"Not much. Apparently he was a European who moved to Japan and got recruited by the Hand. Some people also say he was Mexican and that took an experimental formula. We don't really know who or what he is."_

_"So the bad news is we're probably going to have to fight a guy who beats down Spider-man for a warm up and who we know absolutely nothing about?"_ Masters asked not looking very amused.

_"Afraid so"_ Natasha replied nodding.

_"Whats the good news?"_ Laura asked moving on to the next topic.

_"The good news is we've managed to track down where their main point of entrance is to the U.S. The place where they bring in all their cargo"_ Natasha said as she turned off the tablet. _"We're going to Houston."_

* * *

**America, Huston Texas, 12pm Local time**

_"So that's the dea"_ the gang member said staring nervously at the man dressed in black standing in front of him. Carlos looked at the gang member sternly through the white lenses of his mask.

_"That's it? You just want me to protect some cargo?"_

_"That's it. We've had a tip off that someone might be coming to halt our little operation"_ the gang member continued handing the Black Tarantula a briefcase of money.

_"Fine. Give me the time and the place."_

_"We'll let you know that later"_ the man said before turning and walking out of the apartment.

Carlos sighed and placed the briefcase on the table. He didn't like doing jobs for crime syndicates but at the moment there wasn't anything else to occupy his time not to mention the money was good. The Black Tarantula wasn't a monster. Sure he'd worked for monsters many times but he wasn't the kind of person to kill without reason.

His fight with Spider-man was a prime example. Spider-man had simply been in his way and Carlos had seen no reason to kill the man as he could easily overpower him. Not to mention he had a certain amount of respect for the hero. Heck he'd even let him go during their first encounter so Spider-man could save a child. He was looking forward to whenever it was the Brotherhood called him.

He needed a workout.

* * *

**America, Houston Texas, 5am Local time**

_"This is a bad idea"_ Taskmaster groaned as they hid in the shadows outside the warehouse.

_"They don't know we're coming we'll be in and out of their before they even realize. With any luck the Tarantula might not even be there"_ Black Widow whispered.

_"If you're not up for it why don't you stay here?"_ X-23 asked turning to Masters impatiently.

_"But then who would drown out your bubbly personality?"_ Taskmaster answered sarcastically. Laura simply rolled her eyes and turned back towards the warehouse.

_"How many people are in there?"_ Natasha asked turning to Psylocke.

_"I'm picking up about twenty"_ the purple haired mutant replied as she used her telepathy to scan the warehouse.

_"Ok heres the deal. We go in. Blow this place sky high and cripple their connection to America"_ Black Widow said looking at her team. They all nodded and followed her as she began to creep towards the warehouse.

_"I've had better plans fall out of Christmas crackers"_ Taskmaster muttered as he followed his teammates. Black Widow and Psylocke grabbed the two guards outside the door in a sleeper hold and they passed out quickly.

_"Is there anyone in the room behind the door?"_ Natasha asked turning to Psylocke. The mutant's eyes narrowed briefly as if she was concentrating on something.

_"No. All clear"_ she replied relaxing. Natasha pushed the door open and they silently entered the warehouse.

_"Welcome"_

The voice made the group jump and they turned to see a large man dressed in black, a white spider emblazed across his mask and a katana in his hand.

_"Told you this was a bad idea"_ Taskmaster muttered turning to Black Widow and unsheathing his own sword.

_"So how do you wish to proceed?"_ the Black Tarantula continued as he began walking towards them sword in hand.

_"Why couldn't I sense you?"_ Psylocke growled her telekinetic dagger forming in her hand.

_"I'm immune to telepaths my dear"_ the Black Tarantula answered. _"It's something to do with my healing factor."_

_"Listen Carlos. We don't have any quarrel with you"_ Natasha replied looking at the masked man nervously. She knew they might not be able to beat the Tarantula in a head on fight.

_"Then I'm going to give you the option to leave"_ mercenary answered, completely unfazed that the Black Widow used his real name.

"Shit he's not backing down" Natasha thought. Just as she was coming up with a plan Laura suddenly leapt at Carlos. The Black Tarantula smiled under his mask as the young mutant flew towards him. Hopefully this would be an interesting warm up.

_"Damn it"_ Taskmaster growled following X-23. They needed to attack as one, not separately. The Tarantula ducked under a swipe from Laura while parrying Taskmaster's sword with his own. He span between them both kicking Taskmaster in the stomach lifting the man off his feet and sending him crashing into some nearby crates.

His left hand shot out and he seized X-23 by her face. Lifting the girl off her feet he slammed the back of her head into the ground. Carlos recognized the claws and guessed the girl might have Wolverine's healing ability so he didn't hesitate in plastering her into the concrete with all his strength. He leapt backwards doing a spin in mid-air to avoid a few bullets from Black Widow's pistol before landing feet first a few meters away.

_"We have to attack together!"_ Taskmaster shouted pulling himself from the shattered crates. Quickly Taskmaster, Black Widow and Psylocke circled the mercenary while Laura remained out cold.

_"There's three of us and one of you"_ Natasha growled as Carlos turned his white lenses to face her. _"Surrender now and I'll make sure S.H.I.E.L.D know of your cooperation."_ Before he could reply Natasha felt a small sting sensation at the back of her neck and then everything went black.

* * *

_"W-what happened?"_ Natasha groaned as her eyes flickered open. She tried to move her arms but realized she couldn't.

_"Welcome back"_ Black Tarantula said standing over her.

_"What did you do?"_ Natasha asked angrily turning to see the rest of her team where chained up beside her.

_"I assure you I did nothing. I would never stoop so low as to use tricks in a fight"_ the Black Tarantula replied distastefully before turning to look over his shoulder. It was then Natasha noticed that Carlos had been joined by a group of guards. _"I apologize for my associates interfering in our fight it was…..dishonourable"_ Black Tarantula continued._ "After this is over I will have words with them"_ he finished, his eyes flashing angrily towards the guards who clutched their tranquilizer guns nervously.

_"Well I hate to say I told you so but I told you so"_ Taskmaster commented from beside her.

_"Shut up"_ Black Widow snapped back.

_"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE? I WANT HIS HEAD!"_ a man bellowed bursting into the room. _"Tarantula I heard the threat was neutralized"_ he continued lowering his voice and looking at the Black Tarantula. The man was obviously of Mexican origin and had tattoo's running up his left arm. He was dressed in a black suit and could have been mistaken for a businessman if it wasn't for his body language.

_"There they are"_ Carlos muttered gesturing to the group who looked up at the new arrival disgustedly. They guessed this was the man behind the trafficking.

_"Who the fuck are these people? None of these are him"_ the man said looking at the tied up group irritatedly.

_"What?"_ The Black Tarantula questioned turning to the man in confusion.

_"None of these are the guy we got tipped off was going to attack us. Where the hell is he?"_ the Mexican asked turning to the Tarantula impatiently.

_"Whats he talking about?"_ Psylocke whispered to Natasha.

_"No idea"_ the S.H.I.E.L.D agent replied equally confused.

_"Where's who?"_ Carlos asked glaring at the Mexican as started to lose his patience.

_"WHO? I'm talking about the fucking guy who beat up seven of my men down at the docks, stole over 1million in cash from them and has been tearing at my organization apart for the past two weeks! The guy who dresses like fucking Spider-man"_ the gang leader snapped.

Suddenly the lights went out leaving the room in pitching darkness.

_"Whats going on?"_ one of the guards asked nervously trying to free a torch from his belt.

_"Power cut maybe?"_ The Black Tarantula suggested although he was instantly on the defensive his eyes scanning the darkness. Then another voice cut through the obscurity.

_"You're all dead men!"_

* * *

**Notes:** The fight between Tarantula and Spider-man that Black Widow showed the team was the one that took place in Amazing Spider-man 436# just incase anyone wanted to know where I got that from or to get more of an idea of what Black Tarantula looks like. Also for those of you who aren't familiar with Taskmaster the suit he is meant to be wearing here is the one he used in his 2002 miniseries.


	4. Welcome To Black Ops

**Houston, Texas, 12:20pm**

Gunfire erupted at the sound of the voice causing the room to suddenly become illuminated by the muzzle flashes.

_"Stop shooting you idiots"_ Carlos shouted, due to the gunfire he was unable to use his enhanced senses to track the new comer.

The Scarlet Spider watched the confused and frightened men fumble around in the dark. Thanks to his night vision he could see them all perfectly. After the events of spider-island Kaine had left New York behind him in favor of a new city and a new start. When he'd arrived in Houston he'd found himself a little short on money and had taken to robbing the local gangs of their ill-gotten gains. Although he had no official name the gangs had dubbed him the Scarlet Spider which pissed him off no-end due to his past with the original Scarlet Spider.

Using his speed and agility he began picking off the men one by one. Kaine was a lot more brutal than the man he had been cloned from, Peter Parker aka the amazing Spider-man and he liked it that way. Being a clone wasn't exactly the nicest thing to think about. That saying about every human being different and unique didn't really apply and that was pretty sickening. So he distanced himself from Parker in every way he could and it really came through in his fighting style. He grabbed another guard and quickly put his hand over the man's mouth before snapping the man's wrist causing him to drop the gun.

_"I'm free"_ Natasha whispered to Taskmaster as she finished picking the lock on her chain.

_"I'm free as well"_ Laura said. She'd come round as soon as the lights had gone out and cut through her chains with her claws. The rest of team freed themselves from their restraints just as the lights came back on. The Scarlet Spider was standing in the centre of the room. All the guards lay sprawled across the floor some of their limbs hanging at sickening angles and he was clutching the gang leader by his neck.

_"Tarantula do something"_ the gang leader gurgled as he tried to free himself from Kaine's vice-like grip. Carlos instinctively moved forward.

_"Take one more step and I snap his neck"_ Kaine snarled turning his red lenses to the Black Tarantula stopping him mid-stride.

The Black Tarantula glared at Kaine through his white white eyepieces. He knew if the gang leader died he wouldn't get paid the full amount and he didn't much like that idea.

_"Listen"_ Black Widow said from behind him. _"That man is on S.H.I.E.L.D's wanted list. Give him to us. We'll take it from here"_ Natasha finished staring at Kaine.

_"You guys are S.H.I.E.L.D?"_ the Scarlet Spider asked suspiciously.

_"Yes now let him go"_ Natasha replied looking nervously at the way Kaines hand tightened round the gang leaders throat.

Suddenly the Carlos lunged forward. He'd seen the momentary hesitation and seized the opportunity to move in on Kaine. Unfortunately he wasn't quite fast enough and true to his word the Scarlet Spider twisted his wrist violently, snapping the man's neck as the Black Tarantula landed on him.

_"Damn it!"_ Carlos cursed punching the Scarlet Spider in the face.

"Damn that hurt" Kaine thought. He didn't know who this guy was but he was strong. Quickly bringing both legs forward he kicked the Black Tarantula off him.

_"You're both coming with us!"_ Natasha said as Black Tarantula got back to his feet.

_"Well as I'm not getting paid"_ Carlos began, turning to look at the dead body of the leader _"I guess I've got some time to kill!"_

_"If you think I'm going with you than you've got another think coming"_ Kaine growled turning from the Black Tarantula to Natasha.

"Well that's not good" Black Widow thought as she looked at both the spiders, instantly regretting her choice of words. Suddenly Carlos charged her but was quickly engage by Taskmaster who stepped in front of her shield raised. The Tarantula's fist collided with the energy shield sending Taskmaster flying backwards.

Kaine took this opportunity to slip away from the fight. This had nothing to do with him he'd come here simply to take care of the gang leader and steal the money. Whatever was going on here wasn't his problem. Kaine turned briefly and saw the Black Tarantula was overpowering the team. They dodged quite a lot of Carlos's attacks but when it came to actually landing their own it didn't look like the Tarantula was even feeling them. The Scarlet Spider hesitated. He knew Natasha, not directly of course but indirectly through Peter's memories. She wasn't really a bad person, not to mention if she died it would bring S.H.I.E.L.D to Houston faster than metal to a magnet which would make life there even more difficult.

X-23 appeared behind Carlos as he pinned Psylocke to the wall and backhanded Taskmaster, who again only just hand time to raise his shield to parry the blow before being thrown off his feet. Laura didn't hesitate and drove her claws into the Black Tarantula's flanks. Carlos grunted as he felt the blades cut into his lungs but he didn't release Psylocke. The Black Tarantula spun lashing out with his free hand towards the mutants head. Laura closed her eyes bracing herself for the blow but it never landed. Opening them again she was surprised to find the Scarlet Spider in front of her blocking the blow firmly with his forearm. Just then Psylocke broke out of the Tarantula's hold and spun the mercenary's wrist behind his back forcing him into a wristlock. Taskmaster seeing the opening quickly struck a nerve cluster in the mercenary's neck, causing the Black Tarantula to snarl and buckle. Kaine pushed down hard as the Tarantula hunched over pining him to the floor. The mercenary snarled again as he struggled. Laura noticing he was about to get a foot-hold quickly retracted her claws from his flanks before driving them into his leg tendons, rendering movement useless.

The Black Tarantula was now completely pinned to the ground. Psylocke and Kaine holding both his arms and X-23 with her claws buried in his ankles. A flash of silver went past Carlos's face as Taskmaster placed the tip of his sword against his face.

_"One wrong move and I take your head as a bookend"_ Masters informed him _"I doubt even you could heal from that!"_

_"You're all dead"_ the Tarantula replied simply as he went limp. He knew he couldn't get out of this. Natasha pushed Taskmaster aside and crouched down so she could look the Black Tarantula in the eyes.

_"You're in a lot of trouble Carlos"_ she informed him.

_"Bite me"_ he snapped back.

_"Assaulting a senior S.H.I.E.L.D agent, aiding and abetting a drugs and human trafficking ring? I could put you away for a very long time"_ Black Widow finished. Carlos didn't reply, instead he painted a mental picture of himself beating this woman to a pulp. _"or I can drop all the charges against you and you come work for me."_

Natasha didn't know who was more shocked the Black Tarantula or the rest of her team.

_"You gotta be kidding me"_ Taskmaster said turning to Natasha.

_"If you agree everything you've done past and present will be erased. We will no longer hunt you and you will be paid for your participation"_ Black Widow continued ignoring Taskmaster. Carlos looked at her curiously. He hadn't expected this. _"but if you step out of line even once I swear to god I'll have you locked in a S.H.I.E.L.D cell so deep and so dark you'll think you're in hell"_ Black Widow finished looking the Black Tarantula in his white lenses to show she was serious.

Carlos weighed up his options. On one hand he could refuse to be a S.H.I.E.L.D pawn and go to prison for god knows how long or on the other he could accept and be absolved of everything he'd ever done not to mention get paid in the process. It wasn't really a hard decision.

_"Fine. I'm in"_ he muttered. Natasha looked at him in surprise, she hadn't actually expected him to accept.

_"Let him go"_ Black Widow said looking at the team holding him down. They all hesitated not really wanting to let this monster that had taken nearly all of them to subdue loose again. _"Let him go"_ Natasha said again but more sternly this time. The team released him and backed away quickly.

_"If we all die now I just want you to know that I wasn't paid enough for this job!"_ Taskmaster said sarcastically as he watched the Black Tarantula get to his feet his tendons already healed.

_"Please I'm a man of my word unlike you"_ the Tarantula replied brushing himself down. Taskmaster rolled his eyes but relaxed as he realized Carlos wasn't going to attack.

_"and you"_ Natasha continued turning to the Scarlet Spider who was just about to leave. _"The way you move. It's almost exactly like Spider-man. Not to mention you dress like him"_ she said looking at Kaine's crimson suit with the black spider emblazoned on the chest.

_"I can confirm that"_ the Black Tarantula agreed. Having fought Spider-man in the past multiple times he had a good knowledge of how the web-swinger moved and this guy was almost his mirror image.

_"Sorry I don't do interviews"_ Kaine replied coldly before turning to leave.

_"Wait you forgot this"_ Natasha said picking up the briefcase of money and holding out her arm she extended it towards the Scarlet Spider. Kaine hesitated for a moment before reaching out. _"Look I don't know who you are and frankly I don't care"_ Black Widow began as Kaine took the briefcase from her. _"You don't seem like a bad guy even if your methods are a bit"_ she paused turning to a man with two broken legs _"unorthodox. So you can either stay here and rip off gangs or you can come with me and actually make a difference. Your choice."_

Kaine watched as the team turned to leave. "You're not a team player remember take the money and go" Kaine thought as he turned to leave. "You're a solo act just like Parker." This thought stopped him dead. Why not take her up on the offer? She didn't seemed to mind that he was unrestrained and he'd get paid for doing what he'd most likely be doing anyway.

_"Hey wait" _he shouted after the disappearing team.

* * *

**S.H.I.E.L.D Hellicarrier a few hours later**

_"This is your team then?"_ Fury asked as he looked through the documents in front of him with all the information of Natasha's current recruits on them.

_"Yes sir"_ Black Widow confirmed.

_"Some of these people are practically unknown. This Scarlet Spider for example. Do we have any idea who he is?"_

_"No"_ Natasha admitted _"but his powers are akin to Spider-man and considering how useful Spider-man has been to us in the past a person with his skillset could come in handy. With regards to most of these people being unknown I thought that was the whole point of this team?"_

_"Very true"_ Fury replied smiling slightly as he followed Black Widow out of his office towards the debriefing room.

* * *

_"So what's your story?"_ Taskmaster asked looking at Kaine from across the table. _"I've seen Spider-man fight. Heck I've got his moves up here"_ he continued tapping his forehead. _"and you my friend move exactly like him."_

The Scarlet Spider observed the man in the skull mask through the red lenses of his mask. _"I don't really see how that concerns you"_ he replied bitterly.

_"Wow just trying to get to know my team. No need to get touchy"_ Masters muttered leaning back in his seat. Just then Natasha and Fury entered the room.

_"Myself and Fury have been talking and during missions we will be in 3 different specializations. Psylocke and Black Tarantula you will be our assault force, Scarlet Spider and X-23 you'll be our infiltration and Taskmaster you and me will handle logistics"_ Black Widow informed them.

She'd based her choices off what she knew. Black Tarantula was by far the strongest member on their team and she needed to put that brute force to good use, Psylocke with her telepathy, fighting ability and telekinetic blades complemented this well. Scarlet Spider and Laura were both the fastest and most agile members and as much as she hated to admit it Taskmaster was probably the smartest person on the team perhaps even smarter and more tactically minded than her. The guy had broken into Stark tower completely undetected and had also broken into S.H.E.I.L.D making them look like amateurs. For these reasons Natasha wanted to keep Taskmaster close so she could keep an eye on him. The team looked round the table acknowledging their partner.

Then Fury stepped forward and placed both his hands on the table before looking round it at the team.

_"You will move without boundaries. You will act above the law. You will use any and every means necessary to destroy the threats that are hidden from the world. Should you be captured we will deny your existence. Should you succeed you will do so without reward or recognition. Because you do not exist! Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Black ops."_ Colonel Fury finished watching as his words sank in.

_"Well this is going to be a laugh"_ Taskmaster said smiling beneath his mask.

* * *

**Note: **Sorry this chapter is so late. I've been busy recently and haven't had much time to get any writing done.


	5. Getting Along

**S.H.I.E.L.D Hellicarrier**

_"What do you know about H.A.M.M.E.R?"_ Natasha asked looking round the table.

_"Never heard of it"_ Black Tarantula replied, his lack of interest evident in his voice.

_"Where have you been living? Under a rock?"_ Taskmaster asked turning to the spider-themed mercenary. _"Actually that would make sense as most tarantula's do tend to hide in dark places."_

_"You're on thin ice my friend"_ Carlos said in a nonchalant tone as he flexed his fingers.

_"It was a joke dude. Seriously am I the only one with a sense of humour? Or who isn't for a better word 'emotionally detached'"_ Masters continued taking a quick glance at X-23 who returned it icily.

_ "Please try to stay focused"_ Natasha said placing her thumb and fingers on the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes in an attempt to remain calm.

_"Fine. H.A.M.M.E.R was what Osborn renamed S.H.E.I.L.D when he took it over during Dark Reign"_ Taskmaster replied leaning back in his seat.

_"Correct"_ Black Widow confirmed nodding her head.

_"So what has this got to do with us?"_ Kaine asked looking at Natasha through his red lenses curiously.

_"Some deluded individuals still believe Osborn was in the right during his time as head of H.A.M.M.E.R. Thus we have small groups of H.A.M.M.E.R agents posted all around the world trying to get Osborn out of jail and generally making life annoying for us. Recently they launched multiple raids on our bases in South America killing many men in the process. We are to go to Peru and retaking an important S.H.E.I.L.D base from H.A.M.M.E.R"_ the Black Widow finished.

_"Sounds like a normal Monday morning to me. At least give us a challenge"_ Taskmaster replied as he swung back and forth on his chair.

_"Oh and the whole base is rigged to blow if H.A.M.M.E.R so much as see's us within a mile of the place. Killing any S.H.E.I.L.D hostages and destroying the base"_ Natasha added.

_"Now we're talking"_ Masters said leaning forward, suddenly more interested.

_"We leave in 3 hours go get ready. You'll be debriefed during the journey. Scarlet Spider, Laura you're going in first. Due to your combination of stealth and tracking abilities you should be able to get a good layout of the base but remember don't be seen"_ Natasha told them as the team began to leave the room. _"So I suggest you take the time we have before we leave to get familiar with each other."_

Kaine and Laura gave each other an awkward look before following the other members.

* * *

A few minutes later the Scarlet Spider and X-23 where both in the S.H.E.I.L.D training room. This had been Taskmaster's idea. As he'd said the best way to get to know someone was seeing them fight and to be honest neither Kaine or Laura could argue with that.

_"Ok a few ground rules"_ Laura began looking at the crimson clad man in front of her._ "We aren't friends and we aren't here to find anything else about each other than we need to."_

_"Agreed"_ Kaine replied gruffly. He was completely ok with this as it meant keeping his past out of the whole thing. If he was being completely honest he was a little curious as to how this girl had the same claws as Wolverine but enough to press. Girl was probably a poor choice of words as she was probably in her mid-twenties. He confirmed this by taking another look at her.

Laura could see the Scarlet Spider's eyes studying her and returned the favour. He was taller than Spider-man and a bit bulkier to. Whereas Spider-man exhibited control and agility this man gave off an aura of stealth couple with deadly intent. They stared at each other for another few minutes until suddenly Laura lashed out claws snapping from her knuckles.

"She's fast" Kaine thought as he side stepped only narrowly avoiding a graze from the blades. The attack wasn't meant to cause any damage as they were just sparring but Kaine guessed if she could move with that kind of speed packing a lethal attack then she wouldn't be someone you would want to get on the wrong side of. Retaliating he threw a punch towards her shoulder. Laura was just able to avoid it by cartwheeling backwards but she didn't get off scott-free as she felt his fist glance off her shoulder. She stopped her acrobatics a few feet away, her black hair flowing round her face.

"He's strong" she thought rubbing her shoulder slightly. It had only been a glancing blow but she still felt a lot of force behind it.

They continued sparring for about half an hour. During that time Laura noticed something. She had fought Spider-man in the past and like Logan she had his incredible sense of smell and this Scarlet Spider almost smelt identical to the web-slinger himself. There was a slight difference if she really concentrated but it was incredibly small. If she hadn't been concentrating she was sure she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the two but it was there. It was slight but it almost seemed to smell like he was….artifical. That was the only word she could find to describe the smell.

Unfortunately her thoughts had distracted her and Kaine was able to land a punch squarely on her jaw. She winced as the inhuman strength pushed her back a few paces. Laura had noticed something else as well. He was stronger than Spider-man. She could tell by the way his tricep tensed every time he struck. He was pulling his punches and yet it still felt like getting hit by a hammer. She walked up to him in a relaxed stance to signal to the Scarlet Spider that she wasn't going to attack.

_"Hit me"_ she commanded standing in front of him. Kaine looked at her in surprise through his mask.

_"That's what I've been doing"_ he replied crossing his arms and looking her in the eyes.

_"I mean really hit me"_ Laura pressed._ "I can see you pulling your punches. Don't."_

_"Look kid I don't want to hurt you. This is just training remember?"_ Kaine replied looking at her sternly.

_"I've got a healing factor dumbass and if you ever call me a kid again I'll jam these claws where the sun don't shine"_ she snapped irritably. The Scarlet Spider considered this for a moment.

_"I don't really like the idea of punching a gir..woman"_ he quickly corrected himself as he saw Laura's eyebrow twitch._ "directly in the face."_

_"Oh just get over yourself and do it! Tougher people than you have hit me"_ Laura replied rolling her green eyes.

_"Ok fine"_ Kaine replied relenting. He pulled back his fist. _"Ready?"_ he asked checking.

_"Would you just do it already!"_ Laura snapped back. Suddenly the full force of Kaine's strength hit her in the face. Lifted off her feet Laura was sent flying back and crashed into the wall causing a dent in the metal.

"Ouch" Laura thought as she got to her feet. She hadn't expected that kind of brute force and staggered a bit as she got to her feet. Kaine stood in his original position watching her.

_"Are you ok?"_ he asked looking at her slightly worriedly.

_"Just give me a minute"_ Laura replied holding up her hand.

She wouldn't like to take a full force punch from him too many times. In battle due to her agility she rarely took a full on blow. Generally they just glanced off her which was why she was always surprised at the difference in strength between the two. A couple of seconds later and she was back to normal condition as her healing kicked in.

_"Ready to go again?"_ she asked pushing a few strands of black hair from her face.

_"Are you sure you're al…"_ Kaine's question was cut off as Laura threw herself at him. Swiping with her claws towards his chest.

The blow would only have been another graze but Kaine didn't fancy getting yet another cut. He already had multiple flesh wounds across his body from previous rounds. Not to mention this meant he was going to have to repair his costume after this was over. Suddenly another claw snapped from Laura's foot. Kaine only just noticed it in time to avoid but the tip of the blade still nicked his leg as he jumped away.

_"So you've got them in your feet as well"_ he stated looking at the mutant curiously.

_"Captain obvious strikes again"_ Laura replied as she recommenced her assault.

"She's not the only one with tricks" Kaine thought as she took another swipe. Laura noticed his change in demeanour and realized he wasn't going to dodge her attack. Her eyes widened in surprise as a long bone-like objects snapped from his wrists blocking her claws.

Laura looked at them in surprise. She hadn't expected that. They caught her off guard for a moment as they bore an uncanny resemblance to Logan's bone claws. X-23 put some distance between them and looked at the new arrivals curiously.

_"What are they?"_ she asked eyeing the spear-like objects intently.

_"I don't know to be honest"_ Kaine admitted.

He'd only found out he had these things a few weeks back when a thug had rubbed him the wrong way and he accidently impaled the man on one of them. After that he'd done a few small tests. He was Peter Parker's clone after all so science was something that came naturally to him. From what he could tell they were made of an enhanced form of chitin that bore a very close resemble to the material spider fangs are made of. During his tests he had also discovered the tips of these 'stingers' as he had called them were coated with a paralysis inducing toxin but he wasn't sure exactly what they were.

* * *

_"Aww look at those two getting along"_ Masters said amused as he watched the pair through the glass of the observing area.

_"We all need to learn to get along"_ Black Widow replied also watching Laura and Kaine spar._ "All of us"_ she finished firmly turning to look sternly at Taskmaster.

_"Really red? You're going to have a go at me?"_

_"You're attitude may have flown over at Agency X Masters but not here"_ she insisted firmly.

Natasha chose her words carefully despite his cocky attitude Taskmaster was not someone to annoy. She remembered when Taskmaster had broken into S.H.E.I.L.D to have 'words' as he put it with Maria Hill. There were only a few people in the history of S.H.E.I.L.D that had successfully broken into the hellicarrier and even then it had always been teams and yet Taskmaster had broken in on his own and made them look like amateurs before confronting Hill. She guessed that his cocky arrogant attitude was a cover to keep people off guard and underestimating him. She would not make this mistake.

_"Ok fine I won't say anything that might hurt their feelings"_ Masters replied cynically as he rolled his eyes beneath his mask._ "Oh but taking on the Black Tarantula? I think you might want to replace the captain of your brain ship because the current one is drunk at the wheel"_ he added before turning to leave.

Black Widow watched him leave silently. Most of the team she could control. Psylocke and X-23 were here by the motivation to do good and the Scarlet Spider seemed to be there for a similar reason. The only two that worrid her were Taksmaster and Black Tarantula.

Over the past day and a half they had put 5 different locks on Master's 'cell' as he called it although it could have been mistaken for a 5 star hotel suite. Everything from eye recognition to state of the art coded locks. Taskmaster broke out of them all in hardly any time at all. Further enforcing her vigilance of him. Eventually they had agreed not to put locks on his door as long as he stayed put for a designated amount of time. Natasha had to give credit to Master's for accepting the terms as he'd already proven that he could break out of nearly anything they could throw at him but he had accepted which gave her the slight advantage of knowing he was quite happy with his current situation.

Black Tarantula on the other hand was here because she had blackmailed him. Which wasn't a particularly good situation to be in. Whenever he wasn't with the team he was confined to his quarters and guarded. Natasha knew that at some point Carlos was going to ask himself in the pro's of being a member of this team outweighed the con's. She needed to make sure the answer to the question was yes. As if Carlos came to the conclusion that he'd rather be in prison or worse dead than a 'S.H.E.I.L.D pawn' as he'd put it, then they were going to be fighting one very angry Black Tarantula who had absolutely nothing to lose.

Even the least dangerous villains could become monsters as soon as they realized they had nothing to lose so if someone like the Black Tarantula came to this conclusion the results could be…unpleasant.


End file.
